Cinderella
by JamieParker
Summary: On 31st December 1976, Hogwarts is holding a New Year's Ball for students from various magical schools. On the same night, Severus Snape takes Polyjuice Potion in an effort to win over Lily Evan's affections. A story about friendship, dreams and what it means to be truly in love. A story based on canon and an adaptation of a timeless Muggle fairytale.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story came to me a while back and while my readers wait for my next update on my other story, I thought I post this story here in the meantime. The story is about 20000 plus words long so I decided to separate it into four to five chapters. It's already completed and I don't intend any changes. Here are the first two chapters for you to read.**

**I got the idea after watching the movie Cinderella, the 1950 Disney version and somehow, as me and my sister started to talk about how Cinderella transformed herself into a princess and how the fairy godmother seemed like a witch, this idea kind of stuck with me. **

**I wrote this story based on my experiences with love and as such, take the story with a pinch of salt. I will post the other two chapters by the end of the week as I need to get back to my other story. So please, feel free to tell me what you think of it and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP or Cinderella. Furthermore, FYI, some rather adult language and innuendos used in this story**

**CINDERELLA**

"_So this is love…this is what makes life divine."_

**CHAPTER ONE: ONCE UPON A TIME**

**1971**

"Only two more months, Severus!" Lily cried excitedly as she leapt up and down from her bed. Snape chuckled at the sight as he continued to pull her books from her shelves. Lily's enthusiasm was infectious as Snape soon found himself laughing even louder as she pretended to use a pillow as a makeshift pretend flying broom. He couldn't blame her, of course. Both Snape and Lily had been looking forward to going to Hogwarts for some time and each had their reasons. Lily wanted to know more about her powers while Snape just wanted to get away from his parents.

"Lily?" Snape said as he pulled out a large book with a cover of what looked like a girl in rags holding a slipper made from glass. "What's this?"

"Oooo!" Lily said as she grabbed the book off from Snape. "This is Cinderella! My mother used to read me this story when I was younger. She even took me to see the movie when Disney re-released it about six years ago."

"Disney?" Snape asked. Though his father was a Muggle, Snape still very much unfamiliar with the Muggle world, especially considering he had hardly ever left Spinner's End. He knew about movies, those Muggle motion pictures that Lily loved talking about but Disney seemed like an odd name to him."

"Walt Disney?" Lily replied, surprised Snape had never heard of the man. "He's this genius who loves to create all these types of _animation_ movies for Muggle kids to enjoy. He even has a theme park, Disneyland! But it's in America."

_Animation? Theme park?_ Snape thought, trying to rack his brains to see if he could recall anyone mentioning such words to him. It then dawned at him that while he and Lily were best friends, they were still from two very different worlds._ All that will change once we get to Hogwarts. Especially if we both are in Slytherin _Snape thought, vowing to do all he can to convince Lily to be in the same house. Snape enjoyed Lily's company greatly and the thought that the pair might be separated did sadden him quite a bit.

"I wish I was Cinderella." Lily sighed.

"Why? What's this story about?" Snape asked as Lily smiled at him.

"Come here," Lily said, motioning to her bed as Snape made his way from the floor onto her mattress. As Lily started to tell him the story of Cinderella, Snape couldn't help but notice a few things. Like how Lily's green pupils would dilate as she started to talk about something she was really excited about. Or how her red hair would sway slightly from side to side. But more than anything else, it was her smile. That wonderful, gorgeous smile that made Lily so very different from anyone he ever met. Her smile radiated a sense of warmth so alluring that Snape couldn't help but notice each and every movement of her lips as it complemented her already beautiful face.

"And they live happily ever after." Lily finished as Snape absorbed the tale of Cinderella. Lily watched as Snape's face appeared to frown before he let out a snort of laughter.

"That is, without a doubt, the stupidest story I have ever heard," Snape said, unable to control the thoughts running through his mind.

"Excuse me?!" Lily cried indignantly as Snape, upon seeing her expression, changed his to an apologetic look.

"Sorry, it's just that…well…the story really doesn't make sense!"

"Okay, which part?"

"You really want to know?"

"No, I just asked you that because I had no intention of knowing, Severus," Lily replied sarcastically as Snape smirked at the indignant witch.

"Fine," Snape said as he began to explain. "Let's go to the part about Cinderella and the ball. She was upset because she couldn't go and her clothes were in tatters but then a fairy godmother pops up and helps her to go to the ball. My question is, why in the world would Cinderella want to go to the ball?"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Think about it," Snape said. "You finally find out after years of suffering that you have a fairy godmother that would use her magic to give you what you want and your first thought is that you want to go to a ball? Why not ask her fairy godmother to take her away from her awful home? Isn't that more important?"

"Not if your dream is to attend a ball and meet the person you're destined to fall in love with." Lily countered.

"Then it's a wasteful and stupid dream, is what it is!" Snape cried incredulously. "If I had a chance to choose between escaping my family and going to some stupid ball just so I could meet some girl, I would most certainly not pick the latter!"

"It's a fairytale, Snape." Lily sighed. "And besides, as cruel as her family was to her, Cinderella didn't want to leave her family. She cared for them too, in her own way."

"But why? They were cruel to her."

"It's who she is. Cinderella is very kind and forgiving."

"Fine!" Snape exclaimed as he threw his hands up into the air. "Then let's talk about the fairy godmother and her magic. To me, it's obvious the fairy godmother isn't really a fairy godmother. For one thing, fairies don't come in those sizes and they don't need a wand to use their magic which doesn't even go as far as what she did."

"So what are you saying?" Lily said though she was grinning at Snape as if she could anticipate what he would say next.

"She's a witch," Snape replied. "She used Transfiguration to turn things like the pumpkin into a carriage and Engorgio charms to increase the size of objects. She must have been a very poor witch if she can't even maintain those spells by midnight."

"Snape…" Lily sighed.

"I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?" Snape continued, as he ignored Lily. "She wears a cloak and uses a wand. Says things like Bippity Bobbity Boo just to hide the fact she uses non-verbal spells. She's obviously a witch with poor skills but the thing that really gets me is the glass slipper."

"What about it?" Lily asked, sounding curious.

"If the rest of Cinderella's outfit and other things were magical and turned back to their original state at midnight, why didn't the glass slipper do so as well? It's not like Cinderella had glass slippers to begin with. So did the fairy godmother spend all her energy on that one slipper, knowing it would bring the prince to Cinderella? Is she a Seer now? And what kind of shoe would only fit one person? None of it makes sense!"

"It's a fairytale, for the love of Merlin!" Lily replied, sounding slightly exasperated. "You're not supposed to take it so seriously."

"Okay, but you do. You seem to be caught up with this whole idea of romance with a prince." Snape said, sounding much more bitter than he would have liked. Lily gave him a strange look before bursting out in laughter.

"It's a fairytale, Severus! And yes, of course, I would be interested in going out with a _prince_!" Lily replied as her mind started to wander. "I mean, which girl wouldn't want to be swept off her feet by a handsome stranger, let alone a prince, who would love her and give her everything she wanted? Just because it might not come true doesn't make me want it less."

"A prince." Snape scoffed at the words. "They also seem like smug, poncy gits to me. You'll never hear me call myself a prince."

"Awww, Snape, not even for me?" Lily said with a grin as Snape's frown started to falter at the sight of Lily's smile. _Merlin, she's beautiful_ Snape thought as his lips formed a grin on his own.

"I mean, is it really the best start to a relationship?" Snape said as he tried hard to distract himself from being drawn uncontrollably by the witch. "What if the prince is a pompous git? What if he's all wrong for Cinderella? I mean, the story ends with happily ever after but do we really know that?"

"You're such a party pooper, you know that!" Lily moaned as she gave Snape a mock frown, complete with her hands on her hips. "You can't even let a girl dream."

"It's just so unrealistic! Meeting your one true love on a single night without knowing much about them? How does Cinderella even know that she's in love?"

"What do you know about true love, Sev?" Lily asked as she smirked at Snape who threw his arms into the air.

"Honestly, not a clue! But I do know that love takes time. Love isn't something that happens overnight. It might take years for it to happen and even then, you don't get a guarantee that it's going to make you happy. Trust me, I know what happens when you just throw all caution to the wind and wind up with someone you think you're in love with." Snape replied as his mind slipped towards the thought of his parents. Snape recalled how his mother had mentioned about why she was with Tobias, how they met, how beautiful the first few months were. How excited she was when Snape was born. And then, just like that, it started to fall apart. The arguments started getting louder and more physical. The distance started growing longer. Snape recalled one particular night when he asked his mother if she ever loved his father.

"_I did, Severus. And I do. And I try and try each day to love him but…"_

"_But what, Mother?" Snape asked as Eileen place her hand on his head, a bittersweet smile breaking out from her lips._

"_But life got in the way."_

"I understand," Lily said with a sympathetic look on her face. "And you're right. Love takes time and true love, well, you can't just fashion that in a single night. But falling in love takes only no time and all and honestly, where else are you going to start?"

Snape turned to look at Lily who had now inched closer to him.

"That's why I love Cinderella so much. It's about a girl who, after a whole life of suffering, decides to go for what she wants and she was rewarded for it. Sure, she did take a risk in doing so but guess what…sometimes, dreams do come true."

"Especially if you're lucky enough to win the charms of a handsome, dashing prince who will love you forever," Snape replied sarcastically as Lily laughed.

"Oh, Severus! I think the reason you feel so strongly about it is because…well…you're Cinderella!"

"I'm WHAT?!" Snape exclaimed so loudly and in shock that he nearly fell off the bed. Lily giggled at his response.

"Think about it…you're always wearing all these weird, hand-me-down outfits" Lily said as she pointed to his clothes. "And not to mention, but when I first saw you, I always noticed you like to talk to animals. You seemed to have an affinity for rats."

"That's because I was lonely back then!" Snape snapped as he groaned at the thought of him playing with the animals in the playground, often speaking to them about his family woes.

"I'm sorry," Lily replied with an apologetic grin. "But here's the good part, Snape. As Cinderella, you get to be a Disney princess! I mean, after all, isn't your mother's maiden name called Prince?"

"Then wouldn't I be a prince rather than a princess?!" Snape replied hotly although he found it difficult to get angry at Lily whose giggling Snape was starting to find adorable.

"True, but you said all princes were poncy gits so a princess you are!"

"You are so…unbelievably….arghhhh!" Snape cried in frustration as Lily let out another giggle before throwing her arms around Snape. The sudden contact of his best friend froze Snape on the spot. _Merlin, she smells amazing! _Snape thought as he caught of a whiff of the apple scent of Lily's crimson hair.

"I'm just messing with you," Lily said as she pulled away, giving him a smile.

"Well, no harm done," Snape replied with a smile of his own.

"So, Severus, or should I say Cinderella," Lily spoke as Snape groaned once more. "Imagine for a moment, that after all these years of bad times, you finally come face to face with a stranger whom you fall in love on first sight. Do you risk it all for the sake of love or would you rather just live your life the way you've always pictured it to be?"

Before Snape could answer, a familiar screech echoed from down below as Lily gave a groan.

"Damn that Petunia! I'll be right back." Lily said as she headed for the door.

"Hey, Lily," Snape called out as Lily turned her back. "Maybe you are Cinderella too!"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you have an evil sister like in the story?" Snape said as Lily narrowed her eyes for a moment before giving a giggle. "You're so mean, Snape!"

"Just like you, Evans!"

"True." Lily laughed as she opened the door. "Maybe I'll meet my prince someday," Lily said she left her room.

"Maybe you already have," Snape muttered sadly as he watched the door close behind her as the thought of Lily's last question lingered heavily in the air.

….

**1976**

"And Ilvermorny has a much better curriculum program than the one you have here."

_Why did Slughorn invite this fool to the party?_

Snape let out an internal groan as he forced himself to nod at the wizard's response. Perrault was a wizard from Ilvermorny, the American Wizarding School from across the Atlantic. Slughorn's Christmas Party was in full swing as dignitaries and students from other schools were invited to join Slughorn in celebrating the holidays. Though the party had been nothing but a glorified attempt by Slughorn to recruit more individuals into his club, Snape had very much looked forward to it for one particular reason.

_Lily Evans_

It was no secret that Lily, being a master at Potions just like himself, was a favourite of Slughorn and one he tried desperately to recruit into his club. Though Lily had turned down the invitation to join the club on the reason that she had to focus on her studies, Snape knew the real reason as he felt his heart twitch slightly in pain.

_She's avoiding me_

After that horrible day in his fifth year, Snape had tried desperately to win back Lily's affections but to no avail. All his efforts to talk to her had been shut down and Lily seemed to have surrounded herself with Gryffindor students, thus preventing Snape on getting to her one-to-one. He had hoped, perhaps, that Lily would change her mind about joining the Slug Club. Even attend one of their parties. Nonetheless, Snape was disheartened to see that the witch had not come.

"Snape, you okay?" Perrault spoke as Snape took a moment to study the wizard. He was a tall and muscular wizard, one with blonde hair and a perfect set of white teeth. His impressive jawline and built made him quite the head-turner, especially with the witches which Snape noted bitterly. His looks came with a price though, as Perrault thought highly of himself and had disdain for much of Hogwarts due to his silver spoon background. In some regard, Perrault reminded Snape a lot of Potter which made Snape dislike the wizard even more.

Yet, for some reason, Perrault had liked Snape's company as both wizards shared a liking towards the Dark Arts. Though not a fan of the Dark Lord, Perrault did have quite the taste for power and that made conversations with Snape a lot easier.

"I'm fine, Perrault," Snape replied, realising he never bothered to learn the wizard's first name.Perrault seemed to take it as a sign to continue speaking of things.

"So, Snape, what seems to be the word on the Death Eaters? Talk is, they seemed to be laying low at the moment. Rumour has it, something big is coming up."

"Oh trust me, Perrault." a silky voice spoke as Snape and Perrault turned around to the source of the voice. It was a gorgeous witch, a year older than Snape, with long, raven hair and mesmerizing green eyes though Snape doubted that wizards would notice this as much as they noticed her heaving bosom which with the silver dress she wore tonight, only accentuated her growing breasts more so than usual.

"Lady Zabini," Perrault spoke as he bowed slightly to give the witch's hand a kiss. Snape rolled his eyes at the wizard's overly dramatic performance while the witch smirked at the pair. "Let me get us some drinks," Perrault said as he walked away towards the bar while Snape snuck another glance at the witch.

_Ariana Zabini_

Ariana Zabini was a seventh year whose reputation of breaking wizards' hearts were reaching the status of legendary. Zabini never had a boyfriend for more than a few months, her reason being that there was always a better model just right down the corner. The witch, whose beauty, filled the lustful and wanton dreams of most men knew exactly how to use her assets and in the years she's been at Hogwarts, managed to amass an assortment of gifts that could rival the entire school on a Christmas morning. Snape had been wary of Zabini at first, the witch's reputation made her a snake to which other snakes would try to avoid, but it seemed just like Perrault, Zabini took a liking towards him, particularly when she would ask Snape for help in her Potions. It was Zabini, of all people, who had given him the most effective advice about dealing with Lily back in his fifth year.

"_Merlin, you're pathetic," Ariana spoke as she narrowed her eyes at Snape's parchment. Snape had been busy writing Lily a letter to apologise for his behaviour and had not noticed the witch sneaking up from behind him._

"_Do you mind? This is private." Snape snarled as he glared at the witch. Before he knew what was happening, Snape felt the parchment being yanked from his hands._

"_Hey! Give that back!" Snape exclaimed as he tried to reach for it, only for the witch to pull it away from him as she continued to read. With a look of disgust, Ariana crumpled the parchment before throwing it onto the fireplace._

"_WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Snape roared as he tried in vain to save the parchment which was now fully burning amongst the coals._

"_Merlin, Snape!" Ariana exclaimed as she looked at him in disgust. "Are you that fucking stupid? Do you honestly think a letter is going to get Lily Evans to shag you?"_

"_What the hell is that matter with you?!" Snape retorted as he turned to glare at the witch. Standing up to his full height, which was several inches above the witch, Snape walked to confront her. Yet Ariana stood her ground, her expression a telling sign that she was not at all intimidated by Snape._

"_You're pathetic, you know that. Not only are you openly trying to covet a Mudblood, but you're acting like a pathetic, clingy bastard at that."_

"_Leave me alone!" Snape roared as he went back to the common room table and sat between two fourth-year boys. As he reached for his quill, Snape noticed Ariana following him to the table. Flashing a smile at the boys who seemed mesmerised by her beauty, both wizards left their seats, allowing Ariana to sit next to Snape._

"_Honestly, do you even want Evans to talk to you again?" Ariana said as Snape let out a frustrated groan at the pestering witch. "Why is she so special, anyways?"_

"_You wouldn't understand," Snape replied bitterly as a smirk broke across Ariana's face._

"_Oh, I think I do. You want to shag this witch, don't you? Make her your Mudblood whore?"_

"_Don't call her that!" Snape snapped as he glared at Ariana who laughed in his face._

"_Merlin, look at you! Lusting after a Mudblood and you think that writing her a letter will be the solution to all your problems. You'll never get her to talk to you, much less fall in love with you with what you're doing."_

"_Oh, and I suppose you're an expert on love all of a sudden!"_

"_Of course, haven't you seen the guys that want to be with me? Not to mention, all my relationships." Ariana said proudly as Snape gave her an incredulous look._

"_You think that's love. You don't know the first thing about love!"_

"_No, you don't!" Ariana snapped, sounding serious as she glared at Snape. "If you knew the first thing about love, you wouldn't waste your time writing her a stupid letter!"_

"_Oh and I suppose you do?"_

"_Of course!" Ariana exclaimed as she reverted back to her arrogant self. "Attraction is the first of love. You can't love what you don't want to fuck."_

"_You're confusing lust with love, Zabini!" Snape retorted._

"_Am I?" Ariana spoke as her eyes glinted dangerously. "So all these boys who profess to be in love with me, they're all liars?"_

"_Yes!" Snape replied, not caring if he sounded harsh. "Just because you open your legs to every wizard with half a brain doesn't mean you know what love is! I don't love Lily like how you think I do! She's more than that!"_

_Ariana glared at Snape for a moment before smirking at him. "Liar."_

"_What?"_

"_I called you a liar," Ariana whispered as she leaned into Snape's ear. "Tell me something, Severus. Would you ever consider going out with Bulstrode?"_

"_What?" Snape said, confused as to her question._

"_Bulstrode. If she had all the characteristics of Lily, if she had been Lily back when you were kids until now, would you feel the same way as you do towards Lily?"_

"_Of course not," Snape replied. "Bulstrode and Lily are two very different witches."_

"_I agree," Ariana said. "Although she might be a Mudblood, Evans still quite the looker, isn't she? Whereas Bulstrode is fat and ugly and even trolls would be disgusted with themselves to be compared to her."_

"_You're such a –" Snape started to speak before Ariana placed her hand on his thigh. Rubbing it up and down his thigh, Snape felt something stirring in his chest as his body started to betray his thoughts on Ariana._

"_What are you doing?" Snape exclaimed as he turned to look at her, only to gasp slightly. Ariana had removed her robes, revealing the white top uniform which she had unbuttoned the first few buttons. Snape stared at Ariana's cleavage, the heaving bosom of her breasts taking all his attention as Ariana traced the goosebumps emerging from her left breast._

"_Like what you see?" Ariana whispered softly into his ear, the sound of her voice making every nerve in Severus's body tingle. As hard as he tried to fight it, Severus Snape was a boy. His eyes trailed to Ariana's fingers which were tracing her slightly tanned perky breasts as her finger while pulling at her shirt came dangerously close to revealing her nipples._

"_I…er…" Snape stammered as he shut his eyes in an attempt to sound coherent. Ariana leaned in closer, her nose now pressing against his cheek while her right hand, which had been busy rubbing his inner thigh now seemed to be making advances towards a certain area that Snape knew, despite all his thoughts not to, was probably growing in size._

"_Tell me, Severus. Can you feel that?" Ariana said as she removed her hand suddenly from his thigh, much to Snape's disappointment and felt his wrist. "Your pulse elevated. Open your eyes, Severus."_

_Snape did as he was told, Ariana's voice casting some sort of spell over him._

"_Your pupils are dilated," Ariana whispered as she smiled at the wizard. "Tell me, Snape, if you had to choose between Bulstrode, who is like Lily in every way except her looks and me, who do you think stands a better chance at winning your heart?"_

"_What do you mean?" Snape said as he found himself, leaning towards Ariana who smirked at him._

"_Sorry, but I don't make out with losers," Ariana said as she pulled herself away. Upon hearing her words, Ariana's spell over him snapped as Snape pulled himself away, repulsed by both the witch and himself, whose body, unfortunately, seemed to still desire for the witch's touch._

"_What the hell was that about, Zabini?" Snape asked hotly as Ariana shrugged at him._

"_Just wanted to prove a point. It doesn't matter who a person is. Before we can fall in love with someone, we have to be attracted to them. Physically or in other ways. And you, my friend, are not an attraction. And Lily sees it. Even if you and she were on good terms, Lily Evans will never be attracted to you."_

"_You don't know that!" Snape retorted._

"_Oh yes, I do. Do you think Lily Evans is some sort of saint? Please…she'll probably spread her legs for James Potter sooner or later." _

_The mention of James's name drew a fire inside of Snape as his knuckles turned white. Snape turned to face Ariana, who upon seeing the lines of hatred on his face, cowered slightly under his smouldering gaze._

"_Lily will never fall for Potter," Snape growled. "She thinks he's an arrogant toerag."_

"_But Potter's quite the catch, isn't he?" Ariana replied. "Handsome, cocky, confident, Quidditch captain and star and rumour has it, in line to becoming Head Boy next year. Despite what Lily thinks, her body will be attracted to James and once you have the body, it's easy to work your way around the mind and heart. Why do you think people make excuses for those they find attractive? We give sympathy to bad boys because deep down, we like the way they look. How they get our pulse racing."_

_Snape said nothing as he continued to glare at Ariana._

"_It's an aphrodisiac. Something that just gets the chemistry between two people going. The essence of love, if you want to go down that particular path. And what's more, the only reason Lily hasn't made a move towards Potter is because of you. How you constantly try to undermine him. You're the biggest cockblocker I know, Severus but even you can't stop it, especially now when she doesn't have you around to tell her how to feel."_

"_Shut up," Snape growled menacingly as he reached for his wand. _

_Yet Ariana was unperturbed. "And then there's you. Not that good looking, slimy, greasy. And then you hang around her like a little dog, clingy and possessive over everything she does. Nothing, nothing is more of a turn off than a clingy, needy guy and that's who you are, Severus Snape. So you can write your letters, you can beg, you can crawl but that Mudblood will never, ever feel for you as she does for Potter."_

"_SHUT UP!" Snape roared as the common room, which had watched the pair with a matter of interest now seemed to be interested in other things as the younger students fled away from the two. Snape turned on his heels, intending to get as far away from Ariana as possible._

"_But I can tell you how to get her."_

_Snape froze in his tracks, his ears trying to process what he had just heard. "What?" Snape cried as he turned around, his voice more curious than it was annoyed. Ariana skipped towards Snape, a grin on her face as her green eyes twinkled in the light of the fireplace._

"_Do you know what a girl's number one aphrodisiac is? What makes her desire someone more than anything else?"_

"_A good body and good looks?" Snape replied icily as he pictured James. Ariana shook her head._

"_Power."_

"_Power?" Snape repeated her answer as he stared bemusedly at the witch. "What do you mean, power?"_

"_I mean, power!" Ariana said as she balled her fists. "Looks are immaterial, especially when you think about the number of ugly guys getting together with pretty girls in our school. Hot guys are a dime a dozen but a guy with power, now that's something special. Why does a girl go crazy over singers, over actors, over Quidditch players? Because they're attracted to the power that these guys have. Look at You-Know-Who."_

_Snape's eyes widened at the mention of Lord Voldemort._

"_Think about him. Rumour has it, he has the face of a serpent and those red eyes are more likely to make you fear him than want to kiss him and yet, witches by the dozens would gladly give themselves over to him, body and heart and mind and all so long as he requests for it. I know Bella would and she's the last person you think would ever love anything. The Dark Lord could have a harem of witches, all because he has power."_

_Ariana placed a hand on Snape's shoulder._

"_You have power too, you just too weak and distracted to realise it. You're the best in Potions, you create your own spells and you have more knowledge on jinxes, curses, and hexes than anyone I know. You could easily defeat James if not for his band of idiots. Be who you are supposed to be. Be the Death Eater."_

_Snape gulped at the mention of her last words. It was no secret that Snape harboured a real desire to join Voldemort's circle but a Death Eater? They were the best of the best._

"_You can do it," Ariana said as she read his thoughts. "Lucius said you had the most potential, more than prats like Mulciber and Avery. Become the Death Eater, not just any Death Eater but one that is more powerful and dedicated to the Dark Lord than all the rest. Use that brain of yours and transform yourself, Severus and trust me, though she may be a Mudblood and may be against our Lord, Lily Evans will still be attracted to you. And once you've accomplished that, you will become her…Prince Charming." Ariana said with a smirk as she emphasized the last two words._

_Pecking him on the cheek, Snape watched as Ariana sauntered away. She was right, of course, Snape thought as he realised that everything he had done to win Lily over had been in vain. Lily was attracted to bad boys like James, wasn't she? Well, she has no idea just how bad a boy can really be Snape thought furiously as he walked over to the table. He had left his Potions-Making textbook there and flipping through the pages, Snape picked up a quill._

"_This book is the property of..." Snape wrote before pausing. Something about what Ariana said lingered in his mind._

"_The Half-Blood Prince," Snape muttered under his breath as he wrote the words. His eyes lingered on the parchment in which he had wanted to write to Lily. Feeling a sense of anger and disgust at seeing the parchment, Snape crumpled the piece of parchment._

"_I'm going to get you back, Lily Evans," Snape swore as he grabbed his things before throwing the crumpled parchment into the fireplace. Snape watched as the paper burnt until there was nothing left as Snape put out the fire while staring at the dark and cold hearth filled with cinders._

"Still trying to find your Mudblood?" Ariana whispered as Snape shook himself away from the memory. He glared at Zabini for a moment before shaking his head. Ariana rolled her eyes at the gesture yet before she could speak, Perrault walked over with his face holding an expression of frustration.

"You forgot the drinks," Ariana spoke curtly as Perrault waved her off.

"Forget the bloody drinks. I have a problem."

"What is it?" Snape asked, now finding Perrault's company more welcoming than Ariana's.

"The New Year's Ball. I can't attend." Perrault sighed as Snape nodded. The New Year's Ball was the social event of the year in Hogwarts. Orchestrated this year by Slughorn and Dumbledore, the Ball would be open to all sixth and seventh years from magical schools throughout the world as per their invitation. It was an aim to help foster as well as strengthen ties amongst the communities and Snape was to attend, seeing that he was a member of the Slug Club, though he couldn't be the least bit bothered. As incredible as the New Year's Ball may seem, it paled in comparison to Snape's event on the first day of 1977.

"_There's going to be an initiation." Lucius had told him excitedly weeks ago. "The Dark Lord himself might even be there but no matter, once you've passed the initiation, you're almost guaranteed to become one of us."_

"So just don't go," Ariana spoke as she stole a glass off one of the other party attendees. "It's not compulsory."

"But they've already assigned me a partner." Perrault sighed.

"Partner?" Snape asked.

"Yes, it's part of our exchange program for the Ball. Some of your classmates have been chosen to accompany each of us as part of the program for the party. It's something to do with wanting to strengthen ties or some nonsense of the sort. I just need to figure out how to tell my partner."

"Wonder why we weren't chosen as partners?" Ariana muttered to Snape as the latter smirked at the rhetorical question. It didn't surprise Snape in the least. He, together with a few Slytherins, had already gotten a reputation and Snape doubted that Dumbledore would risk partnering someone up with a would-be Death Eater.

"Who did you get?" Ariana asked as she passed her drink over to Snape.

"Some girl," Perrault said as he reached into his cloak and pulled out a card. "I only recall her name being similar to a flower or something…ahhh yes…Lily Evans."

Snape nearly spat out his drink as Ariana's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Wait, Lily Evans?!" Snape exclaimed as Perrault gave him a confused look.

"Why? You know her?" Perrault asked as Snape nodded. _How in Merlin's name did I not know about this?!_ Snape thought as Perrault let out a sigh.

"Would you mind terribly if you told her for me?"

"I…well…" Snape stammered as Perrault handed him the card. Snape sucked his breath as he noted her name written in red ink on the card.

"Snape would love to," Ariana spoke as she took the glass from Snape and linked her arm around Perrault. "Snape and Lily go way back. It's not going to be a problem."

"Fantastic," Perrault said as he smirked at the beautiful witch around his arm. "You're a real sport, Snape."

"Follow me, Perrault. I want to hear more about your family back in America. I heard you're one of the richest families there." Ariana said as she led Perrault away, leaving Snape along with his thoughts as he stared down at the card.

…

"There you are, Snape," Ariana spoke as Snape looked up from the tree he had been leaning against. It was one of his favourite spots on the Hogwarts grounds, a clearing in the outskirts of the forest, close to Hagrid's Hut. "What are you doing?" Ariana asked as she noticed a thin wisp of silver escaped Snape's wand and hovered like a mist before him.

"Trying to make a Patronus," Snape said as Ariana stared at him bemusedly. "I still can't get it to take on a corporeal form."

"Why? Aren't you going to be a Death Eater?"

"It's required for us to do one for our NEWTs," Snape said as he let out a frustrated sigh before stuffing his wand into his pocket. "I can't seem to concentrate."

"I wonder why," Ariana said sarcastically as she picked up the card that Snape had lain next to himself before smirking at the name on the card.

"So what are you going to do?" Ariana asked as she sat next to him.

"I have no idea." Snape sighed as he took the card from Ariana before pocketing it. "Probably just going to give it to one of the first-years to hand it to her.". Snape had considered using the card as a means to talk to Lily but each time, his mind would shut down that idea, particularly when Snape realised he had no means of even getting the chance to speak to her.

"I see," Ariana said with a frown. "By the way, Severus, do you still have the Polyjuice Potion you made for Slughorn a few weeks back?"

"Yeah, but there's not much left," Snape replied. "Why?"

Ariana flashed him a smile. "Because I might have a proposal for you. What if, instead of giving her the letter, you could take Lily Evans to the ball instead?"

"Are you barmy?" Snape replied as he frowned at her. "Why would Lily want to go with me?"

"Not with you," Ariana said as she pulled out her handkerchief. Inside it, Snape could see several strands of blonde hair.

"Is that…" Snape began to ask as Ariana nodded.

"Had to yank them out of Perrault's hair while we were making out," Ariana said dismissively. "I wonder if that's why we call them Yankees?"

Snape stared at Ariana as he looked at the strands of blonde hair before his mind caught on as to what Ariana wanted him to do.

"No! Are you crazy?" Snape said as he shook his head.

"Why not?!" Ariana asked huffily as Snape shook his head once more. As a master in Potions, Snape had considered on several accounts about using his Potion knowledge to get to Lily. He had shut down the idea of a Love Potion, one he felt too guilty to use and would not be effective considering Lily knew how to detect Love Potions seeing that she was good with Potions as well. His idea for the Felix Felicis was also scrapped on account that some of the ingredients weren't in the Potions stock and the idea to use the Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as one of her classmates would also not succeed given the fact that there were too many variables to consider.

"Why would I want to disguise myself as Perrault just to take Lily Evans to the ball?" Snape spoke as Ariana rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, don't pretend like that idea hasn't crossed your mind. I really don't see an issue here. Perrault can't make it and wouldn't care less what you do. He hasn't spoken to anyone and reassures me that he won't. You could pretend to be him and finally get to spend some time with your precious Mudblood."

"Don't call her that!" Snape snapped as he glared at Zabini.

"Oh come on." Ariana pleaded, unfazed by Snape's reluctance. "I've thought this through. Nothing can go wrong!"

"Lily would be able to tell it's me," Snape replied. "She knows me, Zabini. Sooner or later, I'm going to say something that might give me away."

"No, you won't," Ariana replied. "She won't suspect a thing, not if _you_ attend the Ball as well."

"What are you talking about?" Snape asked dryly as Ariana flashed him a wicked grin.

"What if I told you, this situation would benefit _both_ of us?"

"Huh?"

"It's like this, Severus," Ariana said as she placed an arm around him. "I'm going to graduate from the godforsaken school soon enough and the last thing I want is to leave this school empty-handed especially when it comes to my future. What I propose, my slimy friend, is that while you pretend to be Perrault, I will pretend to be you and attend the party which will be filled not only with students but other dignitaries, comprising of horny old men with lonely social lives but very large pockets. If you let me be you, I could strike up a conversation with some of these gentlemen and find out what makes them tick. That way, once I graduate, I will know exactly who to target. A lady must do her research if she intends to get what she wants."

"So then go to the party as yourself!" Snape barked as he pulled himself away from Ariana's arm. "Why go as me? Surely you can get these gentlemen or whatever you call them to tell you whatever you want?" Snape said as Ariana shook her head.

"I realise that people tend to be more honest with you when they're not trying to impress you," Ariana explained. "Besides, I'm not looking to shag and break up anymore. I'm looking for something along the lines of a more permanent and personal relationship. And I can't do this without you. So what do you say, Severus, will you help me?"

"I don't know…" Snape sighed as he stood to his feet. "How about I just give you the Potion and my hair to use? You can still go to the party without me."

"Why don't you want to do this?" Ariana said as she stood to her feet. "It's obvious to me you still have feelings for the Mu…I mean, Evans. So why not get something out of the deal? You're going to be a Death Eater the next day anyways. So have some fun beforehand."

"I can't." Snape sighed.

"Why not?!" Ariana replied indignantly, her face looking slight cross. "You're acting like a real wimp here, Snape."

"I'm not being a wimp!" Snape replied hotly before looking slightly resigned. "I just…I can't do that to Lily."

"Are you serious?!" Ariana exclaimed. "A year ago you would have jumped on a chance like this!"

"Well, I'm not the same wizard as I am a year ago, now am I?" Snape cried. "You said it yourself, I'm going to be a Death Eater the next day. So why risk doing something that might get me caught and punished?"

"No one is asking for you to sweep her off her feet!" Ariana countered. "Although it would be interesting to see if she would fall for you."

"It wouldn't be me," Snape said. "It would be Perrault."

"Yes, and think about the talk we had previously about attraction. Only a blind witch wouldn't be interested in Perrault." Ariana spoke excitedly. "You would already have the attraction part down and all that's left is for you to talk to her and see if she would fall for you by the end of the ball."

"And then what?" Snape retorted. "I just tell her that it's all a trick? It's not like we can have a proper relationship."

"Why are you thinking so far ahead?!" Ariana cried exasperatedly. "All I'm asking for you is to give yourself one night of happiness. You finally, finally get to have a night out with Lily Evans and the best part is, you could even try anything with her. See if she falls for any of your moves. If she does, well then maybe you'll get some action for once! And if she doesn't, you would still get a chance to hang with your former best friend. All I'm talking about is one night. One night to make all your dreams come true."

"I'm sorry," Snape said as he started to walk away. "I can't do that to Lily."

"She's going to say yes to Potter, you know," Ariana said as Snape stopped in his tracks. As Ariana walked beside him, he could see a triumphant look on her face.

"Word is, Evans is seriously considering finally giving in to go out with Potter," Ariana spoke in a high, arrogant voice as she poked his chest. "Is that what you want? For Lily Evans to go out with James Potter?"

Ariana smirk grew larger at the sight of Snape's face turning red.

"All you have to do is go to the Ball with Lily and maybe convince her that there are better guys out there. Or maybe get her to fall in love with you. Who knows? Who cares? All it takes is one handsome…prince like Perrault and just like that, you become the monkey wrench in James Potter's plans. Imagine that look on Potter's face if you and her are dancing in the Ball and when the clock strikes midnight, you kiss her right in front of his sorry, Muggle-loving face."

Snape started to tremble again, only this time it wasn't due to fear. He could picture Lily staring back at him longingly with her piercing, green eyes as Snape tucked one of her strands of long red hair behind her ear before leaning in to press his lips against her.

"All you have to do is reach out for it. One night where all of your dreams can come true." Ariana whispered as she held out the strands of blonde hair. "Think about it."

Ariana placed one of the strands of hair onto Snape's glove as she sauntered back into the castle. Picturing Lily in his head as well as Potter, Snape let out a frustrated sigh before closing his hand around the strand of hair, his black eyes flashing with determination.

…..


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This story came to me a while back and while my readers wait for my next update on my other story, I thought I post this story here in the meantime. The story is about 20000 plus words long so I decided to separate it into four to five chapters. It's already completed and I don't intend any changes. Here are the first two chapters for you to read.**

**I got the idea after watching the movie Cinderella, the 1950 Disney version and somehow, as me and my sister started to talk about how Cinderella transformed herself into a princess and how the fairy godmother seemed like a witch, this idea kind of stuck with me. **

**I wrote this story based on my experiences with love and as such, take the story with a pinch of salt. I will post the other two chapters by the end of the week as I need to get back to my other story. So please, feel free to tell me what you think of it and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP or Cinderella. Furthermore, FYI, some rather adult language and innuendos used in this story**

**CINDERELLA**

"_So this is love…this is what makes life divine."_

**CHAPTER TWO: SHOWTIME**

**31 December 1976**

"My, my, look at you," Ariana spoke as Snape admired himself in the mirror. Despite disliking much about Perrault, Snape had to admit that, with Perrault's appearance, he did indeed _feel_ good. While Snape wanted to wear something along the lines of a simple dinner jacket and pants in order to appeal to Lily's Muggle side, Ariana had gotten him instead; garments in the style of a white, military uniform with blue trousers along with a red sash that Snape had outright refused to wear, despite her naggings. Though the outfit did seem big at first, once Snape had transformed himself into Perrault, the outfit had fitted him perfectly although his shoes did seem a tad size smaller.

"Now that's a prince if I ever saw one," Ariana said as Snape turned around, nearly giving himself a start. It seemed so surreal to be staring at himself in his wizarding dress robes as Snape gaped at his doppelganger before gaping at the sight of his hair.

"What did you do?!" Snape exclaimed with indignation as he pointed to the top of Ariana's head.

"Shocking isn't it? I washed it, like several times over." Ariana snickered as she ran her fingers through his jet black hair. "Not to mention I used Sleekeazy's Hair Potion."

"But…I don't put product in my hair!" Snape cried indignantly as Ariana rolled her eyes in an impressive Snape-like impersonation.

"Please. Just because you don't care about appearances doesn't mean that I don't. Besides, don't you own a shaver? Or have you no concept about getting rid of the body hair." Ariana said as she admired herself in the mirror while Snape scowled at her. "Now, come on. We don't want to be late."

"Hold up," Snape said as he pointed his wand at his shoes, a smart black pair which was unnecessarily embroidered with beads of diamond glass. "_Engorgio!"_

The shoes grew slightly larger under his charm as Snape snuck his feet in. _Perfect_ Snape thought as he frowned at the ostentatious nature of his shoes. "Where did you even get my outfit?" Snape asked.

"From Perrault," Ariana said as Snape cocked an eyebrow at her. "What? I spend the night at his place during the Christmas weekend and took some stuff from his closet. Those shoes might be an old pair though."

"Why couldn't we just transfigure some new clothes?" Snape groaned as Ariana ignored him, her face fully focused on a tiny strand of Snape's hair which kept flinging out of place. After trying to smooth it over and over again to no avail, Ariana let out a grunt of frustration.

"Screw it!" Ariana said as she pointed the wand to the strand before cutting it away with a spell.

"Alright!" Ariana exclaimed, looking pleased as she clapped her hands before turning to Snape. "Are we ready to go?"

"Almost," Snape replied, his voice laced with concern as Ariana rolled her eyes at the sight of the nervous wizard tugging the collar of his uniform.

"Oh, what now?!" Ariana cried exasperatedly.

"I'm just trying to focus, that's all!" Snape snapped as he tried to calm himself down. _I'm going to the ball with Lily Evans. I'm going to go out with Lily Evans. I might even get to kiss Lily Evans! _ Snape thought as his brain went into overdrive.

"Look," Ariana said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Once again, Snape noted the strangeness of having a physical manifestation of himself talking to himself. "Just remember everything I thought you. What's the number one rule?"

"Don't let my emotions get in the way," Snape said as Ariana nodded.

"That's right. You're going to be fine. Remember everything that I've taught you." Ariana said as Snape nodded. He recalled all the lessons Ariana had taught him prior to this night on how to deal with the different scenarios.

"Now remember, she might or might not bring you up which means that you must ALWAYS remember that you are NOT Snape, but Perrault. Now if she does bring you up, Lily might have some nasty things to say about you, or things to say about James which you might not like or things that you might disagree with. Whatever it is, remain fucking calm. Just try to have a good time."

"Okay, I'll try," Snape said as Ariana glared at him.

"Don't say try, Snape. That's not very Slytherin-like."

"Fine, I'll do it! Happy?" Snape exclaimed as Ariana beamed proudly at him.

"I know we're not friends, more like acquaintances or allies or whatever you want to fucking call it but I'm actually, honest to Merlin, happy for you. You're getting a second chance with Lily tonight so just try, try to have some fun and enjoy yourself."

"Thanks…I think…" Snape replied as Ariana gave a giggle that was not Snape-like in the least. "Okay, I think I'm ready."

"Good," Ariana said as she gave herself another look once more. "By the way, you're positive that the Potion will last until one?"

"Positive," Snape said, recalling how he had measured the amount of potion against the time needed. Although the Ball would technically start at dinner and end at midnight, Snape knew that students would often hang out afterwards and both he and Zabini would need time to say their goodbyes and leave without arousing any suspicion.

Grabbing the card and his wand from the bed, both Snape and Ariana left the dormitory as they headed out into the Slytherin common room. As they headed for the exit, Snape could already see a few witches staring at him.

"See, what I tell you," Ariana whispered with a grin as Snape nodded. Leaving the dormitory, Snape and Ariana headed towards the Entrance Hall where Snape could see quite a crowd had gathered. Students from all magical schools, including those Beauxbatons, Drumstrang, Ilvermorny were already mingling with their Hogwarts counterparts as Snape noticed quite a few Ministry officials, as well as Quidditch stars, were gathered. He spotted Slughorn talking voraciously with Ludo Bagman, the Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps and upcoming star for the English National Quidditch team. A whistle distracted Snape for a moment as he turned to see two Beauxbatons girls giggling at the sight of him.

"Stay focused," Ariana spoke as the pair headed to the front of the Hufflepuff house point hourglass. A quick scan of the Hall showed no signs of Lily though Snape kept his eyes peeled towards the corridor where the Gryffindor students would most likely appear.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you now," Ariana whispered as Snape stared at her in alarm. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You're going to be fine and besides, the last thing you need is for Lily to see you talking to me. Relax and stay calm. And for the love of Salazar, think before you speak! That way, you won't fuck things up."

Snape watched as Ariana walked away from him towards some of the older male Ministry officials. Turning his attention back to the corridor, Snape could see some Gryffindor students walking into the Hall though none of them were Lily.

_Calm down, Severus _Snape thought to himself as he averted his gaze from the corridor towards the card. Ariana had asked Perrault as to how Lily would recognise him to which the wizard had replied that all Hogwarts students were given a picture beforehand. With the anticipation killing him, Snape decided to face the hourglasses instead, noting how Slytherin had fallen behind the rest due to some Slytherins playing pranks on the other students and getting points deducted.

"Hi!" A voice called out from behind him. "Is your name Perrault?" Snape nearly gave a start at the sound of the familiar voice and as he turned around, he could feel his knees trembling slightly at the sight of her.

If he thought Lily looked beautiful before, it was nothing compared to what she looked now. The witch was wearing a sparkling emerald green dress, matching her green eyes as her hair was neatly tied up in a bun with a silver hair brooch that had lilies on it. All in all, she looked resplendent as Lily Evans smiled at Severus Snape. A quick glance to her feet showed that she was wearing what looked like sparkling diamond glass heels as Snape gave Lily an awkward smile.

"Yes, yes it is." Snape blurted out awkwardly as he silently cursed himself to stay focused. "Are you Miss Evans?"

"Please, call me Lily," Lily spoke as she held out her hand to him. Snape looked at it awkwardly before Ariana's voice came into his head.

_Kiss it, you git!_

Snape gave Lily a smile as he bowed slightly. Taking her hand, Snape pressed his lips gently on the witch's hand. Her skin felt so soft and smooth as Snape felt his heart pounding at the gesture. Lily, on the other hand, seemed to find the entire thing quite hilarious.

"First time kissing a girl's hand?" Lily spoke as Snape blushed slightly at her words.

"First time kissing a lady's hand." Snape said as he noted just how smooth Perrault's voice was. _Thank Merlin for Polyjuice Potion._

"I'm sorry for my…awkwardness," Snape spoke as he smiled at Lily. "But I was just slightly taken aback by how beautiful you look, Miss Evans."

"Thank you," Lily replied with a giggle though Snape could see her face blushing slightly. "But please call me Lily. Miss Evans is my…well, technically my mother is called Mrs. Evans but still just call me Lily. And what about you? I'm afraid they only gave me an initial, not your first name."

"Ahh, yes," Snape said as he cursed himself once more. Why the hell didn't he find out what Perrault's first name was?! Or his initial?! Composing himself, Snape gave a little shrug.

"I don't really fancy my first name because it sounds so…pompous. Most of my people I know refer to me by my last name though you can call me by my nickname…er…Pear!" Snape said hastily as Lily gave another giggle.

"Pear? Like the fruit?"

"Yes. I do enjoy pears." Snape chuckled, pleased to see Lily's reaction.

"And I enjoy apples!" Lily said proudly. "Seems like we both already know something about each other!"

Before Snape could respond, a Gryffindor girl in a red dress walked next to Lily as Snape noted from her short, brown hair that it was Mary McDonald, Lily's Muggleborn friend who seemed to be admiring him quite a bit.

"Darn it, Evans. How come you get all the luck?" Mary said as she and Lily shared a laugh. "Hi, I'm Mary, Lily's single friend," Mary said as she extended her hand for Snape to kiss. As he followed through, Snape's mind turned back towards the lessons that Ariana taught him

"_Now, there is a possibility that while you're with Lily, her friends may want to tag along wherever you go."_

"_Can't I like just tell them to get lost or something?!"_

"_No, you prat! Remember, you need to be accommodating and not let that possessive side of yours get through. If she's with a girl friend, you need to be nice to her friend as well. Say something positive about the way the friend looks or acts. Girls love compliments."_

"_But how can I get Lily and myself alone?" Snape asked as Ariana let out a grunt of frustration._

"_You just have to let things take their course. Don't force anything, ever! Be patient and you will have your alone time."_

"Do all Hogwarts witches look this pretty?" Snape said as he flashed Mary a smile which made the witch's ears turn pink. "That is a lovely bracelet, Mary. Did you make it yourself?" Snape said as he noted a handmade bracelet on Mary's hand.

"I did. Thanks for noticing!" Mary replied as she beamed at Snape. "God, you're handsome."

"Mary!" Lily blurted out as she shook her head.

"What?" Mary grinned as she gave Lily a playful nudge. "I'm just stating a fact or have you not noticed how all the girls are looking at you with envy, Lily?"

"Stop embarrassing me," Lily whispered to Mary as Snape looked around the room. He was surprised to see that Mary was right, the number of witches staring at him was now becoming quite hard to keep count. For some reason, Snape was reminded of Ariana's speech about attraction.

"Sorry, what's your name again?" Mary asked, dragging Snape out of his thoughts.

"Perrault," Snape replied.

"But you can call him Pear," Lily added with a knowing look to Snape who smiled at her.

"Pear," Mary said as her long stare at him was making Snape slightly uncomfortable. "I like that. Well, Pear, if Lily here bores you of her company, you can always hang out with me. Likewise, Lily. I have to get back to my partner now." Mary sighed as she motioned towards a short, pudgy Drumstrang student. "Unless, you're willing to trade, Evans?"

"I think we're good, eh Pear?" Lily said as Snape nodded at her. "Good luck, McDonald," Lily said as Mary grumbled slightly before giving Lily a hug and Snape a wave

"Sorry about that," Lily spoke awkwardly as she shook her head.

"It's okay," Snape replied as he waved his hand. "She seems nice and I love her personality. She seems like a wonderful friend."

"She is though sometimes I wish she could keep her mouth shut," Lily said as both she and Snape shared a laugh.

"It's okay. I have friends like that back in America although trust me, there's no magic on Earth that can keep their mouths shut."

"Well, you certainly must have a lot of female friends back home," Lily replied with a smirk on her face. _Merlin, is she flirting with me?!_

"Not that many." Snape laughed. "I'm quite shy when it comes to impressing the opposite sex."

"Girls like that, you know. Shy boys." Lily said as she and Snape laughed once more. All of a sudden, Lily placed her hand around his arm. "Come, let me show you around Hogwarts before we have to go for dinner."

The unexpected gesture by Lily had shaken Snape slightly. He could feel the butterflies fluttering around his stomach as Snape beamed at Lily. "Lead the way."

As the pair walked towards the Great Hall, Snape was beside himself. He was walking, arm in arm, with the girl he had loved since young as he continued to converse with Lily. Never in his wildest dreams could he have pictured a more perfect scenario, save for one where he was himself. It seemed like a fairytale to him, the thought of that prompting an old memory to return to his head. Before Snape could give it much thought, another familiar voice called out to Lily. This time, the voice made Snape's skin start to crawl as he recognised the loud, obnoxious voice from anywhere.

"Whoa there, Evans, looking good." James Potter called out as to Snape's disappointment, Lily removed her arm from Snape as the pair turned around. Snape could hear himself cursing loudly in his head at the bespectacled wizard who walked over with his usual gang comprising of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Snape noted, with disgust, that all the four seemed to be in maroon dinner jackets , something which irked Snape given that he knew that both Potter and Black had wizarding robes and were more likely wearing Muggle clothes as a chance for James to impress the Muggle side of Lily. As the quartet approached the pair, Snape turned his mind back to his lessons with Ariana once more.

"_Now, there's a very likely chance that you will run into Potter and his gang," Ariana said as Snape gave the thought of it a look of pure contempt. "What I need you to do is remain calm."_

"_Wish I could curse them all to oblivion," Snape muttered as Ariana grabbed his shoulders._

"_You will do no such thing. This is the only part in which I'm most concerned about. Whatever happens, you must remain calm and more importantly, you must be polite and courteous to them."_

"_To Potter and his gang?! Are you insane?" Snape snapped as Ariana narrowed her eyes at him._

"_Yes! I mean, no I'm not insane, I mean…urgh…just shut up and listen!" Ariana growled. "Don't forget that Lily likes Potter so any ill will or snide remarks or anything bad towards him would just make you seem undesirable. Don't go all petty on me. You're not Snape, remember, you're Perrault and the last thing you want is to blow your whole night just because of some things Potter might say."_

"_What if he insults me? Or tries to degrade me in front of Lily?" Snape demanded._

"_Of course, he's going to do all that but you are GOING TO REMAIN CALM!" Ariana roared at him. "Seriously, you're going to fuck the entire thing up and don't forget, you're not the only one to lose here! So if you're not going to remain calm for me, at least do it for Evans!"_

"_Fine!" Snape roared as he threw his hands up in the air. "I'll just stay quiet if we bump into them. Won't say nothing."_

"_Don't do that, you prat!" Ariana cried with exasperation. "Remember that you need to make friends with Lily's friends if you want the night to go well. So make friends with Potter."_

"_How in Salazar's name do I do that?!"_

"_By doing what all boys want. Stroking their ego. Just like how girls like compliments, guys like to get stroked. Both physically and mentally. Stroke his ego, Snape and trust me, if you give no reason for Potter and his gang to rag on you, you are going to create a much better impression for Lily."_

_Salazar, help me!_ Snape thought as he watched James and the others greet Lily with the same hand kissing gesture. He noted, with much disdain, that Potter's lips seemed to linger slightly longer than necessary. Still, as Potter and his gang turned to him, Snape flashed them the same smile he had given for Mary.

"Guys, this is my partner for the evening, Pear," Lily said as Snape extended his hand for the others to shake. He noted, once again, that while the other handshakes were casual, Potter seemed to grip his hand slightly tighter as the wizard appeared to rise to his full height though Snape noted, with glee, that he still felt short of Perrault's tall frame.

"Pear?" Sirius chuckled as James gave a slight smirk. It took all of Snape's willpower not to glare back at the wizards. "What kind of name is that?"

"It's short for Perrault," Snape said, praying that no one would ask his first name.

"I think it's a nice name," Lily replied sharply as Sirius gave her an apologetic look while Snape silently relished the slight look of disappointment on James's face.

"What are you wearing?" Peter blurted out as he stared at Snape's outfit. T Snape tugged at his collar uncomfortably as his mind raced for an appropriate answer.

"Well, I wanted to wear a tuxedo like the rest of you but my parents insisted on me wearing this. My grandfather was in the No-Maj army back home." Snape replied as he recalled his American wizarding jargon.

"No Maj?" Peter asked again.

"It's what they call Muggles in America," Remus replied. "So, you're American?"

"Yes, I am," Snape replied as Remus smiled at him. Snape felt a wave of disgust at the thought of the werewolf looking at him in such a manner though he pushed down his repulse for the creature to the back of his mind.

"So you're a half-blood?" James said as he and Sirius exchanged a look. Snape nodded as he realised that this was the first honest reply he had spoken in the past hour. As Snape stared at the pair, he wondered for a second, if one of the reasons for why he despised Potter and Black so much was because both were Purebloods.

"So you're James Potter," Snape said, eager to change to subject. "I've heard that you're an amazing flier for your team. Which position do you play for?"

"Amazing?" Sirius scoffed. "James's the best! Best bloody Quidditch player that Hogwarts has ever seen."

"Ignore him," James said though Snape noted that he did seem pleased at Snape's recognition. "I play a Chaser on the team but sometimes, when we have injuries, I take over the Seeker position as well."

"Don't let him talk about Quidditch, Pear," Lily said as she grinned at James. "He'll go on for hours!"

"What position do you play?" Sirius asked Snape. For some reason, Sirius's tone seemed to be slightly aggressive, almost as if he was taunting at Snape to challenge James for some reason. For a moment, Snape considered lying about his skills but Ariana's voice bellowed in his head once more.

"I don't play Quidditch," Snape spoke as Sirius gave James a triumphant smirk. "I'm more of a bookworm, always focus on schoolwork but I do enjoy to fly. And I have a great deal of respect for Quidditch players which is why I'm slightly envious of you, James. It can't be easy, having an entire house to deal with while you're flying risking life and limb to win a match. Really incredible."

Snape caught Lily giving him a smile as Sirius looked slightly taken aback. Remus was sporting a smile too while Peter looked to James, whom as he studied Snape's face, started to smile at the wizard.

"I really like your friend, Evans. Seems like a decent bloke!"

"Thank you," Snape said as he cringed slightly at the next few words he was about to say. "Would you four like to join us? Lily was going to show me around the Great Hall and I wouldn't mind getting to know you guys as well. If that's okay with you, Lily?"

Lily seemed to pause awkwardly at this question as she looked to James, whom for some reason, appeared to be considering something in his head."

"James?" Lily asked as James looked towards his friends. Sirius gave a shrug while Peter appeared to be waiting for James to make up his mind. Fortunately, Remus decided to speak up instead.

"In case you guys forgot, the two of you have your own Beauxbatons partners to attend to?" Remus replied as he pointed towards two Beauxbatons girls whom Snape recognised as being the two Beaubaxton girls that had whistled at him earlier. _Take that, Potter and Black_ Snape thought triumphantly as the group waved to the pair of girls who were both now clearly staring directly past James and at Snape and were giggling out loud as they batted their eyes at him. As Snape turned his attention to Lily, he was surprised to see the witch narrowing her eyes at the girls.

"Thank you for the invitation, Pear," James said as Snape turned his attention back to Potter. "Maybe we can meet up during the ball or something."

"I would like that very much," Snape replied with as much warmth in his voice as he could muster. "I really look forward to hearing your Quidditch stories. I don't really keep up with teams from my country but I do enjoy watching the Falmouth Falcons play."

At the mention of his favourite team, James Potter's face broke out into a smile. "Merlin! Are you a Falcon fan as well?"

Snape forced an excited look on his face. "Yes, I love the Broadmoor brothers although it's sad when they had to retire. I still think we have a chance to win against the Ballycastle Bats though." Snape drew upon his knowledge of Quidditch from his housemates, especially Regulus Black who himself was a Ballycastle Bats fan and had mentioned the upcoming game just a few days ago."

"I know right!" James cried excitedly as he placed an arm on Snape's shoulder which made Snape stiffen for a moment. "Lily, I think I like this friend of yours!"

"Certainly seems okay in my book," Sirius said with a grin as Snape noted that both Remus and Peter were nodding along as well.

"Well, get your own, Potter." Lily laughed as she playfully pulled Snape away from James's grasp. Once again, the butterflies in his stomach began to flutter as Snape felt himself smiling at the thought of Lily Evans choosing him and pulling him away from James.

"We'll catch with you guys later. Nice meeting you, Pear." James laughed as he clapped Snape on his back. Sirius did the same while Remus and Peter both opted to shake his hand instead.

"Please," Snape replied. "I'm glad to have met you. We should take a picture before I leave tonight. Would love to show my parents that I met up with a future Quidditch star tonight."

_That's it, Snape. Stroke that ego._

"You're making me blush," James said as his ears turned slightly pink. "Have fun, Evans! We'll catch up later." James said as he gave Lily a hug, much to Snape's disgust. As the rest said their goodbyes to Lily, Snape took a moment to heave a sigh of relief at being able to handle that much better than expected.

_Thank you, Ariana!_ Snape thought as he wondered what the witch was up to now, walking about in his body. As he and Lily turned towards the Great Hall, Snape noticed a strange look on Lily's face.

"What is it?" Snape asked as Lily gave him a smile.

"Are all Ilvermorny guys as nice as you?" Lily asked as Snape gave a chuckle.

"No, I just was brought up to be polite to everyone," Snape replied as he suppressed the urge to gag at his own words. "Your friends all seem like pretty nice and amazing people. You're very lucky, Lily Evans."

"Merlin, you really know how to be charming, don't you?" Lily said with a laugh as Snape gave a shrug.

"I'm just being me," Snape said. "Not trying to impress anyone."

"Right…" Lily said with a tone of disbelief, although Snape could see her grinning.

"I'm serious!"

"Sorry," Lily laughed as she beamed at him. "Besides, it's not like you need to try so hard to impress anyone. I mean, surely you've noticed that every girl is staring at you right now."

"Funnily enough, I don't notice that," Snape replied as Lily gave a light scoff. "Seriously, I mean that. If anything, I've only been focused on one girl and that happens to be the one around my arm right now."

"Are you flirting with me, Perrault?" Lily said with a smirk. As Snape stared into Lily's expectant eyes, he found himself drawn back to the lessons with Zabini.

"_You're getting much better at this," Ariana spoke as she threw down a makeshift picture of Potter that she created with using a quill and a parchment, one that Snape had insisted on writing the words COWARD and FILTHY SCUM all over his cheeks._

"_I still don't get why I have to be nice to Potter." Snape spat as Ariana rolled her eyes. "I mean, isn't the whole point for me to get her to not like Potter?"_

"_Do you catch more flies with honey or with vinegar?" Ariana said as she sneered at him. "Tell me, in all your years of trying to get your precious Evans to stay away from Potter, did it actually work?"_

_You catch more flies with manure Snape thought bitterly though he kept silent, crossing his arms across his chest. _

"_Look," Ariana said as she glared at him. "If you want Lily Evans to stay away from Potter, the last thing you actually want to do is try to undermine him. Lily's not dumb, remember? She'll see right through you and that would just turn her off. You're going to have to be nice to her friends if you want to win her over."_

"_And how do I do that exactly?" Snape exclaimed exasperatedly. "Do I flirt with her or something?"_

_The mention of the word flirt send Ariana into a bout of giggles as Snape glowered at her. "What?!"_

"_Please…Snape…" Ariana said as she tried hard to stifle her laughter. "You couldn't flirt to save your own life, why in Merlin's name would you even consider it? Just the thought of Severus Snape flirting…oh, Salazar save me…" Ariana cackled as she squeezed her sides._

"_Then how the fucking hell am I supposed to win her over?! STOP LAUGHING!" Snape bellowed as he glared in annoyance at the witch._

"_Okay, okay, chill!" Ariana said as she raised her hands in the air. "Look, if this was just a one-night stand sort of thing where you just want to shag Evans and leave, I can teach you on what to say. Trust me, that would be easy."_

"_Not with Lily." Snape snapped as he felt repulsed by the idea of Lily being some sort of easy, scarlet woman. "She's not like that."_

_Ariana stared at Snape as if he just told her that Muggles were useful to society. "Are you serious? I hardly ever see Evans hanging around with a guy even after she dumped your sorry arse and you think she wouldn't jump her bones at some hot stranger on a night when students are allowed to get drunk and wild? Do you even really know her?"_

"_Of course I know her!" Snape replied hotly. "And I know she's not that kind of girl."_

"_Oh, trust me, Snape, she is," Ariana said seriously. "And you know what? It's not like it's something to be ashamed of. What, you guys are allowed to act all horny and hit on any witch you want but a girl wants it and she becomes a slag? Talk about double standards."_

"_Lily wouldn't do such a thing. She told me before." Snape insisted. "She's the kind of girl who would give it up for love," Snape said as Ariana snorted._

"_Please. That's the kind of thing you're taught to say. Trust me, Snape, I know girls. And Evans isn't a prude. Why do you think they're talking about her and Potter? And you give her a guy like Perrault? Trust me, before you know it, Lily's going to be all physical with you and you won't even know it and she might not even know it but the attraction, it's there."_

"_So what you're saying is that because I look like Perrault, there's a chance that I can…I mean…" Snape trailed off, the idea of him hooking up with Lily had him at an impasse. On one hand, he didn't want to think of Lily in that way and on the other, the wanton side of him was craving for it._

"_Of course, you can," Ariana spoke. "But you want to win this girl over, not just give her a good shag and leave Potter to pick up the pieces even though I think that's the better alternative."_

"_So what do I do?" Snape sighed as Ariana smiled at him._

"_You got to have patience. Play your cards right. If you think she's flirting with you or if she asks if you're flirting with her, play it cool. Just brush it off and say something along the lines of wanting to just have a good time and being a friend tonight. What you want is not to impress Lily Evans but get her to think that perhaps, there are better guys out there besides Potter. Guys like you. With Perrault's looks, you don't have to worry about being charming. Just be nice."_

"_Nice? Like a friend?" Snape asked as Ariana gave a shrug._

"_Maybe, if you want. Just don't seem desperate or seem like you're trying too hard especially since you can't flirt, Snape. All you have to do is be a nice guy and everything will go your way."_

"_I thought nice guys finish last?" Snape said as Ariana gave him a smirk._

"_The ugly ones do. But then again, last I checked, you don't really have nice intentions, do you, Severus Snape?"_

_The mention of his full name made Snape cringed a little. Ariana had planted the seed inside his head, the thought that by the end of the night, he and Lily could be physically much closer than he could ever dream of. And yet…_

"_I just don't want her to be with Potter." Snape sighed as Ariana placed her hand over his shoulder._

"_Then listen to me," Ariana said as she stared at Snape with her piercing green eyes. "I can help you get Evans, either her body or her heart. It' all about what you want out of the night. So ask yourself, Severus Snape,_

_What do you want?"_

As Snape looked into Lily's green eyes, he found his resolve to be shaking. As much as he hated to admit it, Zabini was right. In such a short time that they've met, Lily seemed to be charmed by his looks and personality and for the first time since they met, Snape realised something he had not thought of before. Lily Evans had changed. No longer was she the timid girl that stood in the playground, the carefree child with whom he would spend his days either lounging in her room whilst her parents were out or hanging about in some corner of Spinner's End. Even throughout the first five years at Hogwarts, Snape had always thought of Lily as the same girl, just one who grew more accustomed to the magical world than the Muggle one.

Tonight, however, Snape had noticed that Lily wasn't just a girl any longer. Puberty had hit her like a truck and Snape found himself drawn even more so to this woman that seemed to have a great deal of interest in him. For a fleeting moment, Snape had thought of just going through with seducing Lily and fulfilling his desires, something in which he had already asked Ariana on how to proceed lest he was interested. But as he stared at her, a single image appeared in his mind; that of Potter kissing his Lily at the stroke of midnight.

"No," Snape said firmly as he smiled at Lily. "Tonight, all I really want is to just to have a good time. And if I can make a friend or friends while I'm at it, why not?"

"I can't tell if you're just charming or trying to be," Lily said as her smile widened.

"Guess there's only one way to find out," Snape said as he bowed dramatically while motioning his hand towards the Great Hall. "After you, Miss Evans."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Perrault." Lily giggled as she and Snape walked into the Great Hall. As they entered the hall which was now decorated with beautiful glass chandeliers, white banners, and streamers with light snow falling down from the ceiling, Snape took a moment to admire the sight before him. The plethora of floating candles together with the bouquet of flowers surrounding the room and on the long tables of the Hall gave the entire place a magnificent and glorious atmosphere.

"What do you think?" Lily said as she stood, awed by the Great Hall. "Beautiful, isn't it? Like something out of a fairytale?"

Snape snuck a glance at Lily before smiling to himself.

"Yes, it is, Lily. Yes, it is."

….

**That's the first two chapters. There's more to come from this story so just stay tuned! Thanks for reading and please review if you can! Thank you!**


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